The NBA Cup has entered its most exciting phase, the knockout stage, with the San Antonio Spurs set to face the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. This clash has been highly anticipated, with everyone hoping to watch Luka Doncic and LeBron James challenge Victor Wembanyama on a big stage. But an unfortunate update surfaced, casting doubt over the star power everyone was waiting to see.

San Antonio’s center, Wembanyama, who has been dealing with a calf strain since mid-November and has missed 11 games for the same, has been ruled out for tonight ahead of his NBA Cup quarter-final.

“Victor Wembanyama will be OUT for the NBA Cup quarterfinals game vs. the Lakers on Wednesday, the Spurs announced,” Yahoo Sports reported. “Wemby has been out nearly a month with a left calf strain he suffered on November 14.”

Even though there was positivity around the Frenchman’s status after he returned to practice on Sunday, his not playing against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday should’ve been an indication.

This is a massive blow to the Spurs, given the crucial matchup. While Victor Wembanyama has missed a lot of games this season, when on the floor, he just makes San Antonio a much better team. So, without him, the chances of the Spurs beating the Lakers obviously reduce significantly, and so do their chances of a $7,883,860 payday.

You see, once you reach a certain stage in the NBA Cup, players get prize money based on how far their team advances in the in-season tournament. And this season, that amount is all the way up from $530,933 for each player on the NBA Cup-winning team to a mere $53,093 for each player on the losing team in the quarter finals (note: this amount is reduced to half for two-way players).

So, if San Antonio were to go all the way and win the entire tournament, then each of the fifteen guys on their roster would’ve earned about $477,840 while the three two-way players would’ve earned a whopping $238,920 payday. However, with their main man out for tonight’s quarter-final clash, they’ll have to pull out an all-timer to get into the semi-finals at least. Can they?

Can the Spurs pull off an upset without Victor Wembanyama?

Well, there’s no doubt that Victor Wembanyama is the focal point of this San Antonio Spurs team. After all, before getting injured, the former No. 1 pick was averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.6 blocks. All of this while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from the three-point line. So how will his team fare without him tonight?

Surprisingly, San Antonio has held their ground in Wembanyama’s absence. That’s because they have won eight of the 11 games the Frenchman has missed because of his calf strain. That’s great news, but tonight they’ll be going up against a Los Angeles Lakers team stacked with talent all across the board, that too, in red-hot form.

The Purple and Gold have won eight of their last team games and possess a solid 17-6 record so far this season. So, tonight will be a real test for the Spurs roster. However, they might just be able to pull off a win if De’Aaron Fox can emulate his recent performances. In Wembanyama’s absence, the point guard has stepped up big time for his franchise.

Moreover, he’ll likely get a lot of help from Stephon Castle, who is finally back from his hip injury, and also the likes of Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper could help Fox carry the offensive load. So, not all hope is lost for the Silver and Black, and that $7,883,860 payday could still become a reality if they win tonight.

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